Yolanda Arrieta Malaxetxebarria

Etxebarria (Bizkaia), 1963

She did teacher training (specialising in Basque philology) at the Teacher Training College in Eskoriatza (Gizpuzkoa). She then did drama studies at the "Antzerti" drama school run by the Government of the Basque Autonomous Community. Finally she studied Cultural and Social Anthropology at the Faculty of Philosophy and Education in Donostia (San Sebastian).

She has been involved in all kinds of work including storytelling, creative writing workshops, conversations with readers, shorts texts (the Maritxu berritsu radio series, HABE). She has also been a member of the discussion group, Lauretan Babel, broadcast by the Euskadi Irratia radio station, the floor scriptwriter for the Hasiberriak TV series, the scriptwriter of the Baietz gogoratu! programme broadcast by the ETB (Basque Autonomous Community TV corporation).

Today she is involved in numerous initiatives connected with enjoying literature, and orality, aimed at promoting a love for reading and creative writing among teachers, parents, children and young people.

She also contributes to the press: she writes a weekly column for the newspaper Deia: Zirrikitutik. In addition, she writes the weekly story 14 Pertsonaia idazle bila for the Mantangorri supplement for children published by the newspaper Berria, and finally she contributes to the Luparekin section in the weekly magazine Argia.